Penguin flu
by randomfanfictioner01
Summary: Skipper gets a terrible sickness, so with no other option, he goes home with Alice. But what happens when Skipper can't get better?
1. Illness

**A/N; Hey guys! So, I can't take credit for this. The story actually belongs to Spotlight92, but they discarded it, so I was given permission to adopt it. Plus, I'm redoing what I've already done, just cuz it's kinda a mess, so enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer; I don't own PoM. Tom McGrath does. If I did, there wouldn't be a hiatus at the moment!**_

"Can he... You know, go back to his habitat?" Alice asked as she just stared at the flat-headed penguin the vet was holding. The thing looked sick, and she flinched away when it coughed.

"No no no, I don't think this little guy can go back with the others. He might infect them too!" The vet laid the penguin in a matted cage and patted his head before locking it. "You're going to have to take him home instead."

"ME?!" Alice yelled in disbelief. "What about me? What if he infects ME?" She pointed at herself over dramatically like a prim Donna. "And why can't you take him? You're the doctor anyway!"

"You know my wife doesn't like me bringing work home." The vet retorted. "I even have to take a shower before I go home! And he won't be able to infect you. He's got a bird sickness, not a human sickness," The vet gave a fairly large red bag to the zookeeper.

"What's in here?"

"Just his medicine and 3 bowls of mashed tuna fish. Put 2 pills in the bowl before giving it to him. Make sure he eats at least 2 bowls with the medicine in it. He should be non-contagious by tomorrow." The vet took off his lab coat and threw on a long brown one.

"What if he doesn't eat the food?" The vet looked at Alice, a bit annoyed at all her questions. And she had an attitude to boot.

"Mash up the pills and put it in some water," The vet said, irritation obvious in his voice, as put on his hat and walked towards the exit. "Please take care of the little guy, Alice," The vet walked out, leaving her alone with the penguin.

Alice sighed. "I'll try," she murmured to herself with her arms folded. She hated the penguins. They were sneaky and she knew they were after her somehow. She eyed the cage warily before picking it up. The penguin inside's eyes immediately shot open from the sudden jolt and looked at her. His eyes went wide and he tried to sit up, but his head obviously hurt when he tried.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," She paused for dramatic effect. "Yet." The flat-headed penguin stared at her for a minute before he started squawking. She knew he was trying to call for help.

"Hey! You might as well stop. Your habitat is being quarantined since you probably infected the place with your germs" The penguin inside the cage looked at her in a 'what are you trying to say?' sort of way.

"I'm trying to say that your friends are on lock down," Alice smiled slyly at the sick creature that had wide eyes before picking up the cage and leaving the office.

As Skipper swayed slowly to the movement of the cage, he stared long and hard at Alice. He didn't know why she was taking him away in a cage, but he wanted out. Fast.

"Hey! Alice! Let me go!" He knew she couldn't understand him, but it was worth a shot, he guessed. Alice turned and stared at the cage angrily.

"Listen up, penguin, you better be quiet. I don't want to do this. It's my job! I'm not going to let you out, and that's final!" Alice scowled at him one more time before turning her attention back to walking. Skipper coughed and put a flipper on his head. He was about to lie back down in the surprisingly comfy cage when he saw the HQ wrapped in a big plastic bubble. The air pumped in and out with air filters.

"MEN! MEN! WE'VE BEEN COMPROMI-" Skipper launched into a coughing fit and finished to find that Alice was staring angrily at him again.

"Your friends are fine! Look, they're not dead or anything," Skipper looked closer and saw his team staring sadly in his direction. He saluted them and they saluted him back, before Kowalski started crying. Skipper half smiled and looked away from the habitat and looked Alice straight in the eye. "Now... Are you gonna be quiet?" Skipper nodded slowly. "Good," Alice started walking again, peeking back at Skipper from time to time as she did. Skipper lay on his side and closed his eyes as he sighed. He hated how fatigued he felt. If it was up to him, he'd be out of that cage by then. But his body was listening to the flu, not him. So he compromised by going asleep instead. He thought it was better than messing with Alice in his current state.

**A/N; So, whadda think? I'm in the middle of fixing up the other chapter and typing the third chapter as you've been reading. So hopefully I'll get ch. 2 up in 5. Till then,**

**Random**


	2. A road trip with surprises

**A/N: Hey everyone! I told you I'd have this up! Anyway, sorry for taking forever to return. I was kicked off the internet, but now that school's over for me, I should have more time. Yea, you all probably think I suck. Well, next chapter should hopefully be up today or tomorrow. Sorry for not being here, but I'm here now, so please enjoy Ch. 2!**

_**Disclaimer; Yet again, I don't own PoM. The always and forever awesome Tom does.**_

Alice sighed as she sat behind the wheel of her car, Skipper in the cage in the front passenger seat. She was stuck behind traffic.

She didn't even want the stupid bird in her home in the first place! She would rather relax in her home with something to drink, not be a nurse for this stupid sick penguin! However, because the stupid vet couldn't even do his stupid job because of his stupid wife, she had to take him to her home and do the vet's job for him. She just had terrible luck.

She didn't get it. She _truly _didn' was all the responsibility at the zoo hers? Why couldn't they get someone else to do this stupid job? She had enough on her plate as it was. It was all piling up, and soon, she knew that her world would come crashing down around her.

She just never realized how soon.

Gently going through traffic, she looked to her right and found that there had been an accident. Like always. Not really paying attention, she didn't even notice what had really happened or who was involved.

A choice she would soon regret.

She was too busy thinking about going home to her boyfriend and what he'd say about the penguin. She just hoped he didn't react too badly.

Yes, it was true. She had started dating again, and had found the most amazing guy for her. He was a doctor too! She thought that feminine luck had been on her side.

She didn't realize how wrong she was.

As she pulled into her driveway, she saw a man in a suit looking at the house. She glared at the man. She wanted to know what exactly it was he wanted. As soon as she turned off the car, she stepped out of the car (Leaving the car door open) and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Alice Mary Scheer?" the man asked.

"How do you know my name?" A million thoughts raced through her head. None of them seemed logical enough to be true.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one telling you this, but..."

* * *

Skipper groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He couldn't remember what had happened. Not until he sneezed.

'Right.' Skipper thought. 'Alice took me somewhere.'

"This can't be!" He heard Alice say.

'And speaking of the devil.' Skipper thought, gently sitting up and peaking through the open door and seeing Alice with a man in black.

* * *

"I'm afraid so." The man said. "I need you to come with me."

"I can't!" Alice said. She had an excuse too. "I have a sick animal to tack care of! I can't leave him!" Was she ever glad for the penguin now.

The man sighed. "Fine, but call us when you can come." He handed her a card and left.

As soon as the man was out of sight, Alice banged her head against the car and shead some tears. Her terrible luck caused this whole day.

Her boyfriend died in that car crash she bypassed.

**A/N: So, are we good? I sure hope so. Did you enjoy the chapter? I hope so. Will you return for next chapter? I **_**surely**_** hope so! Till then,**

**Random**


	3. Finally home

**A/N; Hey! So, in case you didn't know, I redid the previous chapters and improved them. Go back and read them. Otherwise, this'll make zero sense at all. **

**Oh, and, Guest (You know who you are.) I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I was busy with family problems, school, and being kicked of the internet, but I'm back. However, I'll have no swearing like that. Swearing is one thing I won't tolerate. I'm not trying to be mean, but please, refrain from swearing on here.**

**Oh, and enjoy what you're doing tomorrow LUV POM 4-EVER! (You know what.) **

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer; Really? I have to do this again?**_

_**Kowalski; Well, unfortunately for you, yes. Disclaimers are-**_

_**Me; I know what a disclaimer is! *Sigh* Fine! Fine! I'll say it! Just keep your beak shut. I don't own the penguins. There! Happy now Ariel?**_

_**Kowalski; Pardon? Who's Ariel?**_

_**Me; Sorry! Wrong show!**_

Skipper went wide-eyed with shock. He couldn't believe it! Of all people! Of all things that could have happened!

Alice was dating?

More importantly, he was dead?

How much bad luck can a woman have?

Alice sighed as she wiped away her tears and reached inside the car. She pulled the cage out and slammed the car door shut.

Skipper winced at that sound. Sure, he wasn't partial to her, but come on! Give the woman a break! He was sure that if you listened close to her heart, you'd hear a breaking sound. Her hopes and dreams were shattering apart all around her, crashing to the ground.

The same result happened when she entered the house. Alice slammed the door and Skipper winced. Once again.

You'd be surprised how Skipper felt. He felt terrible! He almost felt guilty! He just wanted to-

Skipper suddenly launched into another coughing fit. He couldn't help it! This was a type of pain he couldn't suffer quietly.

Alice remembered about the penguin and sighed. She set the cage down and went into the kitchen to prepare some food for him.

Skipper just sat there, looking towards the kitchen, wondering what she was doing. In the meantime, he decided to observe his surroundings.

It was a quaint little house. He had seen enough of the outside to know it was in a forest. He had heard the movement of the river beside the house during the silence. He had just managed to smell the fields of flowers. The roof was a brown/red colour and the walls white.

Inside the room he was in, the walls were also white. He had been set on a small wooden table with a couch in front of it. The furniture around him was a light brownish colour. The carpet was a nice tan. Kind of a maple sugar shade of tan. She had a tiny TV planted on a stand. If he had to guess, he'd say around a 13x13.

His thoughts were interrupted by Alice coming out with a bowl of what looked like gunk.

Alice must have seen his look, for she said, "No worries. It's only tuna." She opened the cage, put the bowl in, and closed the cage.

Skipper eyed the food wearily before taking a small bite. He shrugged. Wasn't that bad. Besides, he needed to eat something. Eating it all, he looked up, only to find Alice gone. Seeing that, he sighed and lay down in the cage, thinking, 'Well, I may as well sleep.'

**A/N; So? What cha think? I did a lot of work and research for this chapter, so I hope you appreciate it! Nice reviews appreciated, constructive criticism encouraged, and flames used for s'mores that I give to nice reviewers! **

**P.S; Can you guess what I was listening to while writing this? I even quoted two songs! Need another hint? Fine. Hint; Neil Patrick Harris (Who voices Blowhole in case you didn't know.) **


	4. Wondering around

**A/N; Sorry for this being so late today. I can't update again until next Monday. (Hopefully) So enjoy this chapter.**

_**Disclaimer; *Sigh* Yet again, I don't own PoM.**_

_**Skipper; Why do you sound so unhappy about that fact?**_

_**Me; Because! If I owned it, there wouldn't be the hiatus going on at the moment! Plus...err, never mind.**_

_**Skipper; Come on. What were you gonna say?**_

_**Me; That's classified.**_

_**Skipper; That's my line!**_

Skipper yawned as he woke up the next morning. His mind was a bit foggy, and his stomach a bit queasy. He wondered what would happen that day that would cause this uneasiness. He then remembered his predicament, but only after yet another fit of coughs.

When his coughing ceased, he looked around to find himself in the exact same spot. His cage hadn't moved an inch.

Right at the entrance of the cage was a bowl full of fish. Well, mashed tuna, but hey! It was still fish!

Skipper ate only a little of his weird looking 'fish' before popping the lock on the cage and wandering around. He felt a lot better now that he had eaten.

The rest of the house wasn't all that different. The kitchen had a nice white tile. The counters were a nice beige/white while the walls were more a tan colour. This is what really gave it that nice country look that just seemed to work.

"Hm," Skipper murmured to himself. "Not that bad... for Alice."

He waddled into another room, which ended up being none other than Alice's bedroom. She had a nice oak desk that was painted a solid brown. Her walls were a unique shade of Black, and her bed was black.

"Again," Skipper mused. "Not bad for Alice."

He went through the remaining rooms, marveling at how different it looked than he expected. Even though he had no clue what to expect.

He crawled back into the cage and shut it again, not sure if Alice would like him snuggled up on the couch. No madder how taunting it looked, sitting there, its fluffy cushions ready to nap on...

The next thing you know, Skipper fell asleep on Alice's couch.

**A/N; Well, I'm gonna see if I can type up one more chapter to hold you for a week.**

**Skipper; *Sigh* That just means another chapter of my misery.**

**Me; Well, it's not like you'll have to be here next chapter. Blowhole's gonna be here instead!**

**Skipper; *Spits out his coffee* WHAT?!**

**Me; *Starts laughing* Nah, I'm teasing.**

**Skipper; *Sighs in relief and takes another sip of coffee***

**Me; Nah, Its Marlene next time!**

**Skipper; *Spit take* WHAT?!**


	5. A zoo wide meeting

**A/N; Told ya I'd try to get another up! Well, this'll be it for a week. I can't write again till Monday. Please, don't ask why, but just know that I will return!**

**Marlene; Or will you?**

**Me; *Rolls eyes* You're getting Skipper's paranoia. **

**Marlene; And I hate that fact.**

**Me; Let's just move on to this chapter before the paranoia rubs off on me.**

_**Disclaimer; Uhg! I hate saying this over and over again! Don't own. Probably never will. Would love it if I did. **_

The zoo had finally closed once again. Another day had gone by, and the whole zoo was at peace...

Except for the wild gathering at the Zoovanier shop.

Kowalski sighed as he tried to gain all the animal's attention. However, as always, they were all in their own little worlds, not to interact with anyone, not to acknowledge them at all-

Rico waddled up to him with a megaphone.

-Until the megaphone was bulled out.

Kowalski sighed as he took it. He never did like doing it this way, but if it got the animal's attention, then...

"EVERYBODY!" Kowalski said into the megaphone. That got everyone's attention. Kowalski returned the megaphone and said, "Thank-you. Now that I have your attention, I would like to bring up something very important. Something everyone should know, just in-"

"Oh, just be shutting up already!" Julian interrupted. "We all know what this is about."

"You do?" Kowalski asked. Had it been that noticeable to even him? One of the dumbest animals in the zoo?

"Of course! It is about me and how everyone must listen to-"

"No no no! That's not it at all!" Kowalski yelled out. "It's about Skipper."

Upon hearing that, everyone became quiet. So Kowalski explained to them what had happened to Skipper.

"So, we've brought you here to discuss the chance of Skipper not returning."

At that, the shop burst out into talking among them all, making Private sighed. Sure. Private wanted Skipper to come home just as badly, but all he could do was hope and pray.

**A/N; Me; *Sleeping***

**Marlene; *Whispers* Yea let her sleep. She worked all night to give you these chapters. Bye now!**

**Me; *In sleep* Bye...**


	6. Not Good

**A/N; Umm...Hi? Sorry for the delay, but an unexpected camping trip came up. I've rarely gone camping before, so I had to jump at it. I hope you don't mind my tardiness. The chapter's up though, isn't it? How about this; to make it up to you, I'll give you two chapter's today. How's that sound? Well, here's the first chapter. I'll get the other one up ASAP.**

_**Disclaimer; Yet again-**_

_***A wall gets blown up.***_

_**Me; Wha-?**_

_**Blowhole; Peng-yoo-ins!**_

_**Me; Oh! Blowhole! Come on in! We're just getting started with the next chapter of my story! I just need to finish the disclaimer. Speaking of which, Yet again, I don't own the penguins. Now, Blowhole...**_

Alice sighed as she took out her keys to get into her house. She knew that just because her day at the zoo was done, that didn't mean she didn't have any more animals to take care of. She had that stupid penguin back at her place.

As Alice entered her place, the stench of fish was clear in the air. She plugged her nose and grabbed a container of air freshener, spraying it everywhere in the house. She sighed, smelling the clean air. It smelt like the woods. The place she called home.

She entered the living room so she could just relax, but gave a small scream, as she was surprised by Skipper, sleeping on her couch.

Skipper woke up to a scream. He rolled off the couch and looked around, wondering what had happened. Had Blowhole come to attack the zoo again? Had Hans come with a super weapon? Had-

Then he recognized Alice and sighed, remembering his predicament. He waddled back over to his cage, knowing Alice would want him off the couch and back to his cage.

Skipper sighed. He knew that if he wanted to get back to the zoo, he'd have to survive Alice for another day or so. He ate the rest of his fish. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either.

Alice sighed as she sat on the couch and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV.

She just needed to relax.

* * *

The next morning was one full of surprises for the two.

Skipper woke up even earlier than usual. He felt terrible! He felt like he could just-

He started coughing. It was dark, so he couldn't see much, but he knew one thing.

He'd just hacked some sortta liquid up.

The liquid was warm and sticky. He wasn't quite sure, but he continued to cough. With every cough, he brought up more of the warm, sticky fluid.

In fact, his noise was enough to wake Alice up. She groaned as she got up to see what was wrong.

She walked into the living room and turned on the lights. When her eyes adjusted enough, she screamed. Skipper would of too had he seen more of his predicament.

Skipper was covered in blood.

**A/N; Sigh, chapter 1 for today is done. A bit later than I hopped, but whatever. What did you think Blowhole?**

**Blowhole; I loved seeing Skipper in misery.**

**Me; Well, it wasn't supposed to be portrayed that way, but Ok. Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. **

**Blowhole; With me?**

**Me; Maybe. We'll see.**


	7. Helping The Penguin Part 1

**A/N; Hey. Told you I'd get it up ASAP. Anyway, nothing to say really-**

**Blowhole; Um, hello!**

**Me; Oh, yea! Blowhole's with us again! **

**Blowhole; When will you stop clinging onto me?**

**Me; When I feel like it.**

_**Disclaimer; Blowhole why don't you do it?**_

_**Blowhole; Will you let go of me?**_

_**Me; Fine.**_

_**Blowhole; She doesn't own any of us. Will you let me go? **_

_**Me; That was my end of the deal. *Sighs and lets go.***_

Alice raced over to the cage, fear evident in her eyes. Skipper wondered why. He was fine right?

He coughed into his flippers again, and when he pulled away, he realized why Alice was so worried.

He'd been coughing up blood.

Alice wasn't sure what to do. What could she do? She thought about the vet, but he wouldn't be up at this time. She thought about bringing him to the zoo, but she wouldn't know what to do then. She even thought about going to a hospital, but realized that would be crazy!

She decided that cleaning him off would be the first thing she should do. So she brought him into the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. When that was done, she was smart enough to go and get plastic gloved before touching the penguin. She slid the gloves on and slipped him into the tub.

Skipper gasped as he saw the blood washing off of his body as soon as he touched the water. He hadn't realized there was that much blood on him.

The water got even redder as more of Skipper was immersed. Not all of the blood was washed off just like that though. Skipper started scrubbing the blood off of himself, but he couldn't quite get it all. Alice sighed as she helped get the rest of the blood off.

Why was this happening to her of all people? She didn't want any of this! She'd rather do anything but this! However, it had to be her. Was this a punishment for her? What had she done wrong? Was it just her terrible luck that caused this?

When all the blood was washed off of him, Alice drained the water and put fresh water in, just to make sure all the blood was truly off. Good thing she did. The water had a small red tint to it, signaling that there was still probably some blood deep in his feathers, so she scrubbed at him again, Skipper getting some parts where she missed.

When that was finished, it was about 5:30. She decided to try calling the vet. She knew he'd be up by now. However, after she'd put Skipper back, taken the gloves off, and thrown them in the garbage, she realized something.

She didn't have his number.

She groaned as she picked up the cage and her keys, saying to the penguin, "Looks like we're heading for a road trip."

**A/N; Kay. Done for the day. Something I forgot. You remember back at ch. 3 when I told you I had quoted two songs? I gave you Neil Patrick Harris as a clue. The songs were 'Slipping' and 'My eyes' Both are from 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' Neil Patrick Harris voices a super villain named Dr. Horrible. Funny since he also voices supper villain Dr. Blowhole.**

**Blowhole; Did I hear my name?**

**Me; Na, you must of been hearing things. Anyway, enjoy! **


	8. Helping the penguin Part 2

**A/N; YES! I finally got music downloaded onto my iPod touch! It's taken forever for me to get it, but I've done it!**

**Blowhole; Done what? Taken over the world so I can have my revenge?**

**Me; In your dreams. I got music put on my iPod! Wanna listen?**

**Blowhole; Um... Alright.**

**Me; *Puts on Angel without a prayer by Deana Carter***

**Blowhole: Anything more, I dunno, upbeat?**

**Me; Course! *Looks through before putting on Treasure by Bruno Mars* That better?**

**Blowhole; Yea, I guess.**

_**Disclaimer; Must I do this again? I think we all understand I don't own the songs mentioned above or PoM.**_

When Alice arrived at the zoo, she raced into the office with Skipper, who had coughed up more blood. However, in the brief moments they were out in the open, a few of the zoosters were able to sneak a peek at Skipper in his condition. Namely the penguins.

"Skippah!" Private gasped out.

"Wa' 'appen?" Rico asked.

"I wish I knew." Kowalski said. "Come on! We have to make sure Skipper's alright." So Rico and Private fallowed Kowalski to the office where Skipper and Alice were. Not before being stopped twice.

"Hey guys!' They heard Marlene say to them as she climbed over her habitat wall. She saw the panicked look in their eyes, which worried her, so she asked, "Where's the fire?"

"Skippah's in trouble!" Private told her.

Now her look was one of panic, but also fear. "What? Where?"

"Fallow us." Kowalski said. The four of them rushed towards the office, but were stopped once again by none other than the lemurs.

"What are you to be doing without da kingly approval?" Julien asked them.

"Classified Julien." Kowalski said, trying to get them off their backs.

"Where is da bossy penguin? Isn't he da one to always say 'Classidy-fied'?"

"He's hurt." Kowalski said, getting irritated with the lemur's antics. "So move out of our way before things get ugly."

"Ugly?" Julian said. "Why, your face is ugly enough! Why would da king want more ugliness in his Kingdome?"

At that point, Kowalski snapped. He glared at Julian, ready to tear him limb from limb. Luckily, the other three knew what was going through Kowalski's head, and restrained the scientist as he tried to reach the ring-tailed lemur.

"Kowalski!" Marlene said to him, trying to help restrain him. "Think about Skipper!"

"That would be our cue to leave." Maurice said as he dragged Julien and Mort away.

Kowalski calmed down upon remembering that Skipper was injured and might need help. "Th-thnks guys." Kowalski said, embarrassed.

"Let's just get to Skippah." Private said. He was becoming increasingly worried for the team. Skipper was sick, Kowalski was becoming angry at the slightest things, who knows what would happen to Rico, or even himself! He was scared that soon, there wouldn't even be a team anymore!

"Yea." Kowalski said. "We should."

So they continued on to the office, where Skipper was waiting.

**A/N; Alright. There you go. Your chapter for the day. Oh! And, by the way, has anyone heard from the Real PoM cast? I PMed The Real Skipper May 22, but I think they've fallen off the edge of the earth. I wish I knew where they were. The Real PoM cast hasn't been heard from for over a year. I actually miss them. Anyone with information concerning the Real PoM cast, please tell me. Reward; Oh, who am I kidding. All I can offer is a shout out. Unless you can think of anything else. Blowhole, are you gonna say bye?...Blowhole?**

**Blowhole; *Dancing to my music***

**Me; *Chuckles* Well, bye from both of us! Now I'm gonna join him!**


	9. Helping the Penguin Part 3

**A/N: I'm so happy! I'm happy for a reason. A reason I'm not ready to share, but I am happy! So, in celebration, you'll be getting three chapters today! Isn't that exiting? **

_**Disclaimer; I don't own PoM.**_

Skipper tried to calm his breathing as he continued to cough up more blood. He had never seen so much blood before! He didn't even know a body could contain this much blood! It made him feel sick to his stomach. However, he managed to keep himself calm. There was something else though that made him feel calm. It was like a fluttery feeling in his chest. When he saw Alice on the phone, it came back, but stronger. He had no clue what the feeling was. He went through his head, remembering he had felt this way before. The only problem was that he couldn't remember. All he remembered was that someone was helping him with something. He remembered his team and a mission or something, but-

Then he remembered.

He remembered what this fuzzy feeling in his chest was. He remembered how he felt this way when his team helped and cared for him. When he thought he was a failure, his team convinced him otherwise. How his team looked up to him, how they actually wanted him as their leader of all others. Even more then Kowalski.

It was the feeling of knowing someone actually cared.

Skipper rarely had that feeling. He was always the one looking out for others. It was rarely the other way around. He looked after Kowalski broke his heart. He looked after Rico when he needed some help. He looked after Private when he was scared. He watched over all the zoosters to make sure they were alright.

"Skipper." Skipper perked up upon hearing Kowalski's voice. He looked to the open doorway to find his team and Marlene.

Now the fluttering feeling was super strong. His team and Marlene cared enough to come and check on him? Skipper felt like crying, but kept his composure.

"Boys! Marlene!" Skipper whispered as they came over, Alice still being on the phone. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see what was wrong since you look awful!" Marlene said, plugging her nose the best she could, trying to avoid the stench.

"Well, yea," Skipper said. "I am quite aware of how awful I must-" He was interrupted with another coughing fit. "Why are you boys here though? You shouldn't be! You could catch whatever it is I have! Not to mention what would happen is she found you four here."

"You're right." Kowalski said. "We were just worried is all."

"And you have a right to be worried." Skipper said. "Just please, I don't want you to get sick either. Please leave."

"But sir-"

"As a friend. Hence the please."

Kowalski smiled. "Sure."

The four of them had just left as Alice hung the phone up. She picked Skipper's cage up as she said, "Let's go get you some help."

**A/N; Chapter 1 for today. I promise the other two will come out some time today.**


	10. Diagnosed Part 1

**A/N; Second chapter for today! Still another to come! I hope 611-L enjoys these longer chapters.**

_**Disclaimer; I don't think I have to keep repeating this. It's a waste of my time.**_

Alice went as fast as she could to the vet's place. He said to bring the penguin over since his wife wasn't home. He'd find out what was going on, and then try to do something about it.

Of course, her fast driving was scaring Skipper a bit. He wasn't used to going so fast. Not even their car when this fast!

Alice arrived at the vet's in record time! Skipper was just lucky he hadn't lost his lunch on the way there.

Alice raced into the house with the cage in her hand, swaying back and forth.

'Alright' Skipper thought. 'I _will_ lose my lunch if she doesn't quit soon!'

"Alice!" The vet exclaimed upon seeing her and Skipper.

"Here he is!" Alice said, handing Skipper to him.

The vet looked in the cage and saw how awful Skipper's condition was. "Oh my! This'll take a bit of time, so-"

"Then don't just stand there!" Alice yelled to him. "Do something!"

"Ah, yes. All I ask is that you don't bother me at all, no matter what."

"Alright, just go!"

Alice sat on the couch in the living room as the vet took off with Skipper. She sighed. What was going on with her? Why was she suddenly caring about the penguin and his well-being? That was unlike her! At first, it was just so she could keep her job, but now, it was like she actually cared! As if she really felt bad for the penguin! As if she liked the penguin! Why would she like a penguin who made her job miserable? Why would she care for a stupid penguin who didn't know how much pressure he was putting on her?

"_You should know why." _I mysterious voice told her. _"It's because you're starting to have a change of heart. You didn't realise the signs?"_

"Who are you?" Alice asked, starting to question her sanity.

"_That is not important." _It said _"All you need to know is that I was sent by someone who's very worried about Skipper, even though he doesn't show it."_

"Skipper?" Alice asked.

"_The penguin you're taking care of."_

"So that's his name." Alice murmured to herself. "But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"_I told you. I was sent here because of someone who's really worried about Skipper. He asked me to make sure you didn't try anything funny, but I can see you wouldn't. You care too much for him."_

"Who's this 'he' you speak about?" Alice asked, wondering if this was some kinda joke.

"_He wishes to remain anonymous. All that matters at the moment is Skipper. You are to make sure he gets back to the zoo safe and sound. You are to be his guardian while he's out of the zoo. You are to protect him at all costs, and in return, he will do the same for you."_

"How do you know all of this? How can you even guarantee all this?"

"_Believe me. I just know."_

Alice was about to ask more when the vet came back, Skipper in the cage he was carrying.

"So?" Alice asked, taking the cage back. "What happened?"

"You see," The vet began. "He-"

**A/N; Cliff-hanger! Just wait for the next chapter. It'll be up within an hour. I swear.**


	11. Diagnosed Part 2

**A/N; Final chapter for the day! Enjoy. And after reading this, can you figure out who the 'he' and the 'it' were from last chapter?**

_**Disclaimer; For the final time today, I don't own PoM!**_

Kowalski sighed as he sat at the table in the H.Q. The whole team was worried about Skipper. Not just them though. The whole zoo! Everyone was worrying for Skipper now.

Well, everyone but Julien. He was the only one that didn't seem to care. He only seemed to be concerned with how many more people he was getting at his habitat now that Skipper was gone.

Kowalski was still furious at what Julien had said to him, but he tried to not let it get to him. Not just for the team's sake, but the zoo's sake too. If he were to blow up in Julien's face for what he did, well, let's say no one in the zoo would feel comfortable again until Skipper was back.

"K'walski." The said penguin turned around to find Private there. "Are you alright? You don't seem all that cheery anymore."

He sighed. "Yea, I'm fine Private. I'm just fed up with Julien. I'm not even sure how Skipper deals with him. He's impossible."

"Anything's possible if you just believe." Private said, quoting a movie he had seen.

"I guess so." Kowalski replied, going along with Private, just to make him happy.

"It's just like when I wanted the promotion! I had to face Graveyard 8! I believed I could do it, and I did it!"

"You sure did Private!" Kowalski said, a smile plastered on his face. "How about we go get snow cones?"

"Yay!" Private exclaimed.

"Go and get Rico and we'll be on our way!"

So Private obeyed. Kowalski sighed and sat at the table, waiting for Private to come back with Rico. Everything since Skipper left had taken a huge toll on him. Getting up early, training, missions- not even Skipper's fish coffee helped!

As the three set off, Kowalski couldn't help but wonder when Skipper would be back.

* * *

"And that's deadly?" Alice asked the vet.

"Very deadly!" He responded. "It could very well kill the penguin if not treated."

"How do we cure him?" Alice asked once again, looking at Skipper.

"Well, activated charcoal will be given by mouth to absorb the drug, and his stomach should be pumped. The charcoal will be easy for me to do."

"Can you do it now then?"

"Why of course!" So the vet took Skipper out of the cage and walked away, soon coming back and handing the penguin to Alice.

"To pump his stomach, however, you should go to the nearest veterinary clinic, since I don't have the proper tools needed to perform the surgery to-"

At the word surgery, Skipper started freaking out, with the image of needles flying through his mind. No way would he do that! Never! He clung on to Alice for dear life.

"Hey." Alice said. "Calm down."

Skipper did calm down, but he was still scared to his wits!

"He seems to be afraid of needles." The doctor noted.

"It's alright." Alice told Skipper. "Everything's fine." She looked up to the vet and said, "Thanks." Then she walked out, Skipper clutched against her chest, one arm supporting him, and the cage in the other hand. She put the cage in the back seat and got into her seat, still holding Skipper.

She couldn't believe it! How had this happened? How is it that Skipper...

**A/N; Sorry for this cliff-hanger. You'll just have to wait till tomorrow until you find out what Skipper has! See ya!**


	12. Friendship

**A/N; Hey ya'll! So, who wants to be left on the cliff all weekend? *Crickets chirping* Yea, that's what I thought. Anyway, last chapter until Monday!**

**Skipper; When will my misery end?!**

**Me; When I say so!**

_**Disclaimer; Skipper?**_

_**Skipper; She doesn't own us.**_

...Had an overdose of his medication?

How had that happened? She made sure to put the right amount of fish and medicine in there! How had this happened?

She didn't realize she had gently been stroking Skipper's head until Skipper let out a small pleasant squawk and snuggled into her a bit more. She looked down to him and the words that thing said echoed in her mind.

"_-__All that matters at the moment is Skipper. You are to make sure he gets back to the zoo safe and sound. You are to be his guardian while he's out of the zoo. You are to protect him at all costs, and in return, he will do the same for you."_

She truly questioned her sanity after that, but looking at the penguin, she realised that she should listen to that voice, even if she was insane!

Skipper questioned what he should do. She was still holding him and just sitting in the car. Well, he couldn't blame her. He practically clutched onto her when surgery was mentioned. That must have been why she was petting him. He felt the urge to just let go, but he shouldn't. He can't show weakness to anyone, let alone Alice! He couldn't, he shouldn't-

The next thing he knew, he was snuggling into her chest even more, letting out small sounds of happiness.

Alice smiled, feeling almost at peace. The sensation was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Even when she'd had a boyfriend! This felt so much better than that. It felt like...kindness. As if the penguin was trying to be nice to her.

Alice shook her head. She really was sounding crazy now! Looking down, she said to the penguin, "You feeling alright Skipper?"

Skipper looked up, a bit in shock. How did she know his name? She shouldn't know his name!

Alice noticed the look and chuckled. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I know your name."

Skipper just gave her a look saying, 'Try me.'

Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, but you asked for it. A mysterious voice in my head told me your name."

'Oh, really?' Skipper's look said.

"I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You don't!"

Skipper rolled his eyes, as if saying, 'Get real!'

Alice chuckled. It had been forever since she'd felt anywhere near this good. And to think it was all just because of this one little penguin.

"You never did answer my question. You feeling alright?"

Skipper smiled as he nodded. It had been forever since he'd felt anywhere near this good. And to think it was all just because of this one human.

'Maybe,' Skipper thought. 'Just maybe, Alice isn't as bad as we thought.'

Alice sighed down at Skipper. "You really don't want surgery, do you?"

Skipper flinched at the word surgery again, but shook his head. He wished there was a way around it. He didn't know how there had been an overdose. Did Alice do it on purpose so she could get rid of him? Did she hate him that much back then?

"I wish there was a way around it," Alice said, almost as if she had red his mind. "But there isn't. I don't want anything to happen to you. I know how weird it sounds coming from me, but it's true. You've changed me. I don't remember the last time I felt this good! I don't know what I would of done had you not come into my life. And, I'm sorry for how I've treated you before. I guess my eyes hadn't opened enough to realize how amazing you penguins were. I always thought you were out to get me. I didn't understand you four back then. I still don't fully know, but I think I understand a bit better now."

Skipper looked up to her. This was a full 360 from her normal attitude. Just last week he wanted to get rid of her, but now it was like they were having a huge heart-to-heart with each other.

"We should get home." Alice said, putting Skipper back in the cage.

On the drive back, there wasn't the normal tension that would be there, but instead, a nice, calm aura.

However, that would all be interrupted when they arrived at their destination.

_**A/N; Alright! Finally done! I hope 611-L enjoys this longer chapter. It's just for them.**_

_**Skipper; How long did it take you to type this?**_

_**Me; Maybe 2 hours, but I got distracted. I can get easily distracted. Anyway, I'm asking again. Does anyone know what happened to the Real PoM Cast? I found a much better reward! I will write a story- any type of story- just for you if you can give me info on where they are. See ya Monday! **_


	13. The 'F' word

**A/N; Hey ya'll! I'm back! And am I ever happy! I'm happy for one of my other fandoms called Invader Zim! InvaderCON 3; Final Doom is happening! I just can't stop squealing! **

**Kowalski; You aren't now.**

**Me; I am internally. Now, next chapter! Oh, and, ****Rainshadow999, by 'Real" PoM cast, I mean the fanfiction authors, but I do think you're close on what happened to the episodes and all that.**

_**Disclaimer; Don't own PoM, or I'd be in a studio somewhere, trying to figure out a future episode. **_

When Alice and Skipper arrived at her place, she could faintly hear the phone ringing inside, so she quickly grabbed Skipper, shut the door, and rushed inside. Once in, she entered the kitchen and picked up the phone, saying, "Hello?" as she set the cage down and let Skipper out.

"Alice!" She cringed as she heard her boss on the other end of the line.

"Oh, uh, hi boss. What's up?" Alice was worried. She realized she had skipped work to help the penguin out.

"You weren't at work today. I would like to know why."

Alice gulped. She didn't wanna get the penguin into trouble, yet she didn't wanna be in trouble. Again the words of that mysterious voice floated through her head.

"_-__All that matters at the moment is Skipper. You are to make sure he gets back to the zoo safe and sound. You are to be his guardian while he's out of the zoo. You are to protect him at all costs, and in return, he will do the same for you."_

Alice wondered what he could do. What could a small penguin do to protect her? Sure, he seemed smarter than most other animals, but in almost any way, he would be beaten.

"Well?" Her boss enquired.

Alice gulped as she spoke her next line. "I'm sorry sir. It was my fault. I know I should have been there on time, but I wasn't. It was my fault, and I'm sorry."

She could hear the growl coming from the other end. "I don't care what you say anymore! You've been a problem from the start! Your attitude, your suspicion towards the penguins, now this! I can no longer tolerate you."

Alice's eyes widened. "You can't be..."

"But I am. Alice, you're fired!"

The word fired rang through her head. She was fired from her job at the zoo. She felt like breaking down in tears right there, but she knew she couldn't, so instead she said, "I can't be fired!"

"Yet you are." Her boss replied, the venom in the tone easy to hear.

"What about the animals?"

"I can hire someone else to take your position."

"But, but-"

"My word is final." Then, her boss hung up on her.

Alice sighed as she slid down to the ground. She had been fired from a job she had just found so amazing. She remembered why she had taken the job in the first place. She used to love animals. Penguins were her favourite actually. She was told that no one else wanted the position, so she took it. She had been young at the time, looking for a job so she could support herself. Her mom and dad had divorced when she was only 3. She went with her mother, and her father left. At 16, Alice was booted out of her mother's home. That's why she'd taken the job in the first place. She turned bitter towards everything as soon as she got in trouble for something she hadn't done. Her pay had been docked for that shenanigan. After looking into it, she found it was the penguins that had done the deed. She was furious at them for that. Afterwards, she turned bitter. It was those penguins. She had a feeling they were out to ruin her life. That's why she hated them.

Alice didn't realize she had been crying until she opened her mouth, and a sob came out.

Skipper gasped at what he had seen. He had watched the whole thing from the doorway of the kitchen. He didn't know what to say. She had been fired because of him! He felt terrible! He wanted to go in there and comfort her, but he wasn't sure she'd like that. After all, it was his fault she was fired. He saw the tears and heard the painful sobs of Alice. Now he really felt bad! He didn't think there was a way to help.

...Or was there?

Skipper sighed. He knew what he'd have to do. He mentally prepared himself.

He was going to go through with the surgery, and when that was done, he was gonna get Alice her job back.

_**A/N; Wow! One of the longest chapter's I've written! Anyway, see ya'll tomorrow! And remember; don't put soap in your waffles!**_

_**Kowalski; Is that also the wrong category?**_

_**Me; Yep! But I ment to do that!**_


	14. Nervousness and Anger

**A/N; Um... hi? Sorry for not updating yesterday, but I just had to get another story up and posted, but I'm here now. Sorry for these short chapters.**

_**Disclaimer; Just what it says. I'm not claiming this.**_

Skipper was extremely nervous. He knew he had to do this, but he was- yes, he was truly- scared. He didn't wanna go through with it, but he would have to.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked Skipper. He nodded in response. It had to be done. Not just to help him, but to help Alice too.

As they entered the vet clinic, Skipper visibly gulped. 'There was no way I'll live through this!' Skipper thought to himself He knew he was overreacting, but fear can do that to anyone!

"Alice!" A man said as he came out of some double doors. "The vet called me and told me about the predicament you and the penguin are in."

"Yea. Can you help?"

"Course I can! In fact, I'm leading the operation."

He kneeled down so he was face to face with Skipper. "No worries little guy. You'll be in safe hands."

Skipper was still worried.

Alice bent down and said, "It's alright. You'll be fine. I promise."

For some reason, that calmed him down.

"Alright, now, if I could just have the cage with him in it, we'll have this done in no time at all!"

Alice reluctantly gave the cage over, but whispered one last thing to Skipper. "Be brave."

Skipper looked her in the eyes and nodded. Helping himself wasn't the only reason he was going through with this. It was also to help Alice for what he'd done to her.

As Skipper entered the room he'd be in for who knows how long, he could only wonder how his men were holding up.

* * *

"Shut the thing off!" Kowalski yelled to the ring-tailed lemur.

"Why? Dis is to be lots of fun if you dance with us!"

"Seriously Julien! Shut it off! Most other animals are trying to sleep here!"

"No!"

Kowalski sighed. How Skipper dealt with the ring tail; he'd never really know.

"Please Julien!"

"No!"

Kowalski was angry now, so he raced over to the boom box and ripped the batteries out.

"Hey! What has been done to de royal boomy box?"

"It's been shut down for the night!" And with that, Kowalski went back to the HQ.

It had been about 4 days since Skipper was found to be ill. The zoo was falling apart without him! Everything was crazy! Marlene was the only other sane one in the zoo.

Kowalski sighed, climbing into the bunk. He could only wonder how Skipper was doing.

**A/N; Sorry for short chapter. This may be the last one for a while, so see you next time!**


	15. It returns!

**A/N; Skipper; *Reading from some cards in his flippers* Hey everyone! So, I'm here instead of the authoress because she's scared of what you'll do to her since she's been gone about a week and a half instead of her normal daily updates. She said she's sorry, but she can't update on the weekends, and last week, she had an art camp to go to. She said she warned you last chapter that she might be gone for a while, but she's super sorry. *Tosses cards away.* With that said, let's move on to the chapter I wrote!**

**Me; *Pops outta nowhere* Not true! I wrote this chapter! You're just introducing it since I'm scared to come outta hiding to introduce it! I don't wanna be sushi! **

**Skipper; *Give me a quizzical look* What?**

**Me; Sorry. Something that happened at art camp. Now I really hate sushi. Anyway, as I was saying, I don't wanna come outta hiding for fear of what'll happen...to...me. *Glares at Skipper, who's looking smug.* You sly penguin. I hate you.**

**Skipper; *Snickers and says sarcastically* I love ya too.**

**Disclaimer; Don't own this. You already know that.**

Alice bit the bottom of her lip nervously as she sat in the waiting room. Skipper had just gone in and she was majorly worried about the penguin-Skipper, she reminded herself of his name- and what might happen. Sure, he might be better after this and able to go back to the zoo, but what if was always a factor. What if he didn't get better? What if they misdiagnosed it? What if Skipper just got worse? What if Skipper...died? What would happen to her? What about the other penguins? She knew how much Skipper meant to them. She'd never be able to live with herself.

"_I see your change of heart is beginning to show more of itself." _The voice spoke to her again, but it sounded slightly different for some reason. It sounded a bit lower and more mature, where as the other one had a high, child-like voice. _"That's a good thing."_

'What is with that voice?' Alice thought to herself. She didn't expect it to return.

"_Oh, but I did." _The voice spoke once again.

'Why are you here again?' Alice thought. Apparently, the thing could read her thoughts.

"_Yes, I can read your thoughts."_ It responded._ "And I came back to let you know that no matter what happens, I can promise you that both you and Skipper will be fine. From what I heard and saw, you need to be the one to be told to be brave. __Skipper is your reason to be brave. __Skipper knows he has to be brave. After all, he's doing this for you so you can get your job back."_

Alice was shocked. Skipper was actually facing his biggest fear for her? That was so touching to her. No one had ever done anything so sweet for her before.

'Wow.' Alice thought. 'Is it me or does this sound like a romance novel?'

The voice chuckled and said, _"Yes, it does, but don't worry. I can guarantee it's not a romance. Anyway, you need to realize that both you and Skipper will be fine. You must stop fretting over the small details. You must trust__. Smile into the fear and let it play."_

'And I do,' Alice thought. "But it's human nature to worry.'

Alice swore she could almost see a smiling face materialize in front of he. It almost looked like a Goddess. She had beautiful pitch black hair that gently floated around her, as if weightless. A blue-green colour was her gorgeous eyes. Her lips were a nice cherry shade of red, as if she had just bitten into a cherry. Her garment consisted of a silvery-white robe that looked as if it was glowing. She looked absolutely stunning! However, as soon as Alice blinked, the image was gone.

"_It is one who realizes that faith is what they must lean on in times of trouble and make such a remark as that who would gain. You have shown me both faith and strength. Faith in the future, even though you didn't know what to expect, and faith in me, even though you don't know who or what I truly am. Strength in helping Skipper, and being strong for him, such as now. Because of that, I shall grant you any wish you desire. Anything in your wildest dreams!"_

Alice thought for a moment. Anything? That meant she could use this wish for anything! What to wish for was the problem. She could use this wish to make herself happy again! She could wish for riches! She could wish for fame! She could wish for immortality! Or even for her boyfriend to be resurrected! The possibilities were truly limitless!

Then she thought of Skipper.

How could she think so selfishly when Skipper's life was on the line? Not just his, but the other animals at the zoo too! One death can have an effect on many people. Or, in this case, a human and animals.

She knew what she was going to wish for. She wouldn't wish for fame or riches, or any other pleasures for herself.

'I wish I understood Skipper better. That way, I could understand more about him, his life, who he is, his reasons behind things. I wish I understood Skipper.'

This time, the image did appear. She knew it. The image did smile this time. She was sure of it.

"_It is a wise person who asks such a thing. They know what is needed and not needed at the time. For that, I will give you what you asked for and much more. Your wish has been granted." _And with that, the image faded away.

Alice felt different somehow. She wasn't sure if it was the wish coming true, or just a feeling, but she did feel different. However, she didn't ponder on it for long.

A vet rushed out, a look of urgency on his face. "Alice Mary Scheer?"

"Here!" Alice said, standing up. She could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't good. "What's wrong?"

"Something happened during the surgery. We need permission before we continue farther. We have to do more than just pump the stomach now. Come with me."

So, on the way down to the room, he explained how one of the surgical knives slipped and made a huge cut, from the center of the chest to almost the hip.

"Yes, of course!" Alice exclaimed. "Do whatever you can!"

Alice placed a mask on her face as the vet replaced his. They entered the room just in time to hear a flat line, followed by the word, "CLEAR!"

**A/N; Alright. This is much longer than normal. This was supposed to make up for me being gone for so long. Forgive me?**


	16. A Miracle!

**A/N; Yea, I'm back on track! I'll be updating regularly now. Hopefully. Based on the reviews, you loved the longer chapter last time. I'll try making the chapters long like that, but I can't guarantee anything. And yes, hmbird11, that was directed to you mostly since you asked. That I can guarantee. There will be **_**no**_** romance like that. No way. Nu-uh. Never!**

**Skipper; I think you've said it enough times.**

**Me; Yea, alright. Anyway, SkileneFTW, you'll find out soon enough. I can tell you that much without spoilers. Alexia1012, I would **_**NEVER**_** kill of Skipper! He's too epic!**

**Skipper; Thank-you! Finally! Someone who's not an overly obsessed Kowalski fan girl!**

**Me; Um, Skipper? I'd watch what you say here. Some of those fan girls might have heard you. They get crazy if someone says something like that.**

**Skipper; Bring em on! How bad could they be?**

**Me; Alright, but it's your funeral! Anyway, I'd never kill him. Ever...Or would I?**

_**Disclaimer; I don't own this. WHY MUST I SAY THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN?! **_

Alice raced over to find that Skipper's heart had stopped. "What's going on?!" she asked, obviously freaked out and scared about what might happen. She had a feeling that thinking about those 'what ifs' would come back to haunt her, but she didn't realize that it would be so soon. She also didn't realize that it would affect more than just her. Normally karma only affects one, not many. The questions floating around her jumbled mind were mostly about how this ended up happening, but some wondered about the voice she had heard earlier. It had told her that both Skipper and she would be fine. Did it lie? Why would it?

"Please ma'am," a woman told her. "Stay back. We need room to do this."

"At least tell me what's going on!" Alice was beyond worried now. She was scared for his life. Why was he dying? He was supposed to live! He had to live! That's what she kept telling herself anyway.

"His heart stopped beating. We're trying all we can to revive him, but nothing seems to be working. We fear the worst, but if we're to try and revive him, we need room to do so."

So that's how Alice found herself standing to the side, watching as the vets tried to get his heart pumping, even though it looked obvious that Skipper was dead.

Alice had no clue what to think. One minute she's told that everything will be fine; the next finding out that Skipper's dying. That stupid voice was playing with her. She wanted to get rid of it. Why couldn't the thing just leave her alone? What was so special about her? Why her?

She wasn't sure what made her do what she did next, but what she did know was that some unknown force made her do it. Or maybe her subconscious was the force making her do it. Either way, she was glad she did it.

Alice clasped her hands together and tilted her head up towards the heavens. 'Please!' Alice thought. 'If any heavenly being can hear me, help Skipper. I beg of you. He needs your help.'

She could almost hear the small, girly giggly of the first voice that visited her. _"You're lucky Alice. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but I will, just this once, but you owe me!"_

In the next moment, many things happened. The first thing she noticed was the steady beep on the monitor, showing that Skipper was still alive! The next was all the vets trying to stabilize Skipper. Then she realized that the first voice had spoken to her yet again. Finally, another face appeared in front of her.

This one had hair that almost looked like gold, eyes that were a marvelous shade of brown, and her garments consisting of a purple robe of different shades. Unlike the other one, who looked more mature-maybe around their 20s- this one looked like a young teen, 12 at the youngest. She grinned, but something about the grin told Alice that she was getting ready to do something evil. _`Remember, you owe me big time.' _And with that, the girl was gone.

Alice stood there in shock, thinking, `What just happened?' However, it wasn't long before she heard a weak voice say, "Wha-? What's going on here?"

It was night in Central Park, and all animals were fast asleep by now.

However, a figure was still lurking.

A small figure with a hood on raced out of the zoo and through the park, trying to make it to their meeting spot on time. He was only late because it was hard sneaking through the zoo, especially with the penguins around. Even if Skipper wasn't there.

As the figure raced past the bushes and to the secret meeting spot, he saw three other figures there. One was a blue-eyed brown- haired female; one of them was a brown-eyed blond-haired female, the other one a much older male with dirty blond hair, his eyes a brownish colour as well.

"You're late." The male said.

"Yes, I know." The other figure panted. "I'm sorry. It was hard sneaking through de zoo. I had to wait till all de animals were asleep. Please forgive me."

The blond female was about to respond, but the brunet stepped in. "Yes, of course. De problem must be putting a lot of stress on all de animals of the zoo, correct?"

"Yes, especially de other penguins. They're worried for Skipper. So am I."

The brunet smirked. "As if you'd tell any othah living soul."

The clocked figure looked down and spoke again, changing the subject. "How's he doing?"

"Fine." The blond female said. "You shoulda seen Alice. Had I not been there, I'm sure Skipper woulda been close to death before they could help him. He's still in critical condition from-"

"Wait, what?!" The brunet asked. "You almost let Skippah die?!"

"No. Alice did. She didn't ask early enough."

"You shoulda known to step in before the knife cut him! You knew that's when we had to intervene! Do you realize what you've done? You changed the futuah!"

"Well, what's the future like now?" They turned to the male with them. His eyes closed as he focused the others around him tensed.

It took a few moments for his eyes to open again. "I can't quite see yet, but I can tell it's horrible. The future has been altered for the worse."

They all glared at the blond girl, who smiled sheepishly. "Um, oops?" Then she disappeared.

The brunet sighed. "We need to stop any future events that might make the future bad. Maybe if we can stop them, it'll be better."

The male sighed and spoke. "We can only hope." He faced the hooded figure. "You need to make sure no one knows of our interferences or of Skipper's condition."

"Yes, yes, I know what to do." The cloaked one said. "I must go now."

The male nodded. "Good luck." Then he disappeared.

The final one looked at the figure. "I'm sorry for her interference with the timeline. She knew better, but she just loves to do stuff like that. We all know she's a troublemaker by heart. I'm sorry."

The figure nodded. "I's alright, but I really must go."

She smiled, nodding. "Of course." Giving the cloaked one a small kiss on the cheek, she disappeared like the others.

**A/N; Wow! How is this longer then last chapter? Oh well. It doesn't matter. So, if anyone thinks they know who the ones at that small meeting were, please don't put it in a review. Either PM me or don't say anything at all. Please-**

***A wall gets blown up***

**Me; Really Blowhole?! You had to do that again?!**

**Blowhole; What? **

**Skipper; Blowhole!**

**Blowhole; Skipper!**

**Me; Guys...**


	17. Get to know Skipper

**A/N; Hey! I'm back! So, now that I've found a good way to type up chapters, hopefully I can get out more and longer chapters.**

_**Disclaimer; me=not the owner.**__**  
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_Alice sighed as she laid in her bed. The day had been hectic, and all she wanted to do was rest now. Not only was the fact that Skipper was now severely sick big news, but also what happened after the life-changing event that was the surgery.

* * *

(Flashback)

"Wha-? What's going on here?"

Alice's eyes widened at those few words. The voice that spoke them was unfamiliar to her. It was masculine, which was a sure-fire thing to her. She wasn't sure just where it had come from, but she wanted to know. 'Are you another spirit, ghost thing?' She thought, but when there was no response, she knew it wasn't. 'Alright then. Can you read my mind?' Yet again, there was no response. Alice looked around, wondering what had happened. Where that voice had come from. It sounded weak and frail, but still strong and masculine at the same time.

"What's happening?" The voice asked.

Alice looked around. There was the voice again. No one else seemed to hear it though. Was it just her? Was she going insane? Was-

_"Everything's fine."_ A voice interrupted. It came from in her head. This one was a male, unlike the other two females. _"You must trust.'"__  
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'The exact same thing was told to me by another one of you.' Alice thought. When would these voices leave her alone?

The voice chuckled. _"You don't seem to understand. We don't leave until Skipper is safe and sound at the zoo. That was the job assigned to us."__  
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'Wait, what?' Alice thought, not fully understanding.

This time, the face that showed itself to her was a male with dirty blond hair, blue eyes. His hair was a bit longer than a normal man would have it, but it fit his looks pretty nicely. His skin was pretty dark, as if he tanned a lot, but you could still tell that he was white. At least he had no facial hair.

_"I'm really not the best one to give an explanation. I shall allow another to give you an explanation at a later time. Right now, however, the penguin is your top priority."__  
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Alice's eyes widened at this. The penguin that had practically come from the dead! Skipper. She hurried over as quickly as possible. Looking at him, he still looked like his normal self in some ways, but the cute chubbiness of him was almost gone. He still looked strong, but if you looked close enough, you could see he was super weak.

"S-Skipper?" She whispered to the penguin.

Looking up at her, the mentioned penguin sighed. "Oh, Alice. Thank goodness."

That's when Alice's eyes widened as wide as they could. So she hadn't been crazy after all.

It had been Skipper talking.

(End flashback)

* * *

Yea, crazy. She could understand the penguin. It took her a moment to realize that the brunet girl must have given her the ability to understand him in that way instead of the way she wanted. Either way, Alice thought she dealt with it pretty well. Sure, she fainted when she first found out, but other than that, she was fine. So she drove them both home after being told that Skipper was really weak and had to rest for a while before returning to the zoo.

"Hey, um, Skipper?" Alice asked. She had practically been asking him questions the whole way home, but there were two that she never did get to ask him.

"Yea Alice?" he responded. Skipper didn't wanna hurt her feelings, but he was kinda getting tired of these questions. He really wanted to sleep, but Alice was so curious about him for some odd reason.

"Well, I just have two more questions for you. The first is; what's your past like? I've always wondered where you got those commando skills."

Skipper bit his beak. He didn't really like talking about his past. It hurt too much. "Oh, uh, my past? Well, that's a bit of a touchy subject for me-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to." Alice regretted bringing up such a subject now. She shouldn't of.

Skipper nodded. "Thanks." There was a moment of silence before Skipper asked, "And your second question?"

"Oh, yea. My second question was; why did you do what you did 12 years ago?"

"Wait, what?" Skipper asked. "How am I even supposed to know what I did that long ago?"

Alice sighed. Of course she'd have to explain it. "12 years ago, when I first got the job at the zoo, you and your team escaped your habitat and somehow managed to get into the storage closet where all our supplies are kept. There was a huge mess, 5 large containers of fish were gone, and a newly transferred puffin was found dead, a sharp metal pole stabbed straight through. I was blamed for it. However, after some investigating, I found out it had been you four in there. That was when I kinda turned bitter towards you guys. I just wanna know why you did it."

Skipper momentarily flashed back to that day. "Oh, that. Well, that's kinda hard to explain, but you deserve the best explanation I can give now that I realize what happened. You see, a reliable source told me that one of my mortal enemies, Hans the puffin, was coming to the zoo as a new transfer to get rid of us. So, we snuck in and found the puffin there taking crates away somewhere. It was the puffin you found dead, but it wasn't Hans. We attacked, and soon, there was an epic battle between the one puffin and us four penguins. I'll tell ya, that was one fighter. I had just thrown her into the wall when we found out that she wasn't Hans, but one of his minions. She took a step forward, and the metal pole you said was stabbed threw? It was toppling on a high shelf. When she stepped forward, the pole fell and- I tried to lunge for her and push her out of the way, but, I didn't make it in time. It killed her. I guess you could kinda say she died at our flippers..."

Alice's eyes widened. Now she felt so bad for hating the penguins this whole time. None of that stuff was their fault. "She didn't die at your flippers. You didn't want her dead. You tried to save her. That sounds like a hero to me."

Skipper smiled. "Thanks Alice."

The silence went on, lulling the two into sleep.


End file.
